Virtual Reconstruction of Ripped Stasi Files‬ is a documentary from Fraunhofer IPK, the company commissioned by the BStU (Bundesbeauftragten für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik or Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic) to develop the “e-Puzzler”, a tool for the virtual reconstruction of thousands of documents destroyed by the Stasi in the lead up to the fall of the Berlin wall.

I was 14 year old when the Berlin wall fell and when I think back to that time two distinct pictures form in my mind: joyful Berliners dancing on the wall on the night it ‘fell’, 9 November 1989; and a more serious crowd storming the Stasi headquarters on 15 January 1990.

What they found when they entered the building were thousands of sacks of torn documents, many of which had previously been part of the detailed files the Ministry of State Security kept on the people of East Germany.

For years, the Stasi had inspired fear in the ordinary citizens of the DDR but as they rebelled and protests intensified the tables turned and shredding machines ran day and night in an attempt to destroy vital evidence of the ministry’s wrongdoings.

When the machines burnt out agents started ripping up the files by hand.

In the aftermath of the fall of the wall, reconstructing those files and allowing citizens access to the information that had been gathered about them became a vital part of the reunification process.

First, papers were examined and repaired by hand but it was clear that this process would take decades and in an attempt to speed up the task automated solutions were sought.

The development of Fraunhofer IPK’s “e-Puzzler” is now in the testing phase having proved viable in the pilot period and the company is looking at options to further speed up the virtual reconstruction of the files of the Stasi.

The water was drained from the pool at the Franzosenbad years ago and now it’s littered with parts of the ceiling, lockers and some of the discarded wooden panels that at one point kept the abandoned swimming pool in the north of Berlin secure.

Built in 1972, the Franzosenbad has a 6-lane 25-metre pool with two diving boards and a separate teaching pool.

When the French allies withdrew from Berlin in 1994 the pool was handed over in working order to the Berlin Senate who granted the right of use to the district of Reinickendorf.

It subsequently came under the control of the Berliner Bäder-Betriebe in 1996 and closed its doors in July 2002 due to the prohibitively high costs of necessary repairs.

The owner of a local diving business had negotiated a price and had grand plans to re-open the pool in 2005, capitalising on the potential of the lawn area around the building for sunbathing.

Like the nearby Einkauszentrum, the Franzosenbad has obviously become a playground for the local youths and graffiti artists and many of the glass panels around the building have been smashed.

Despite the obvious damage it is clear that someone cares about the Franzosenbad, so the swimming pool has long been neglected but may not be totally abandoned – the basement rooms are very well secured and the wooden panels are regularly checked and repaired.

Watch street artist Fin DAC at work on his huge Magnificent 7 mural, a series of 7 beautiful portraits, at The Point Village, Dublin during an art residency at The Gibson Hotel, filmed and directed by Trevor Whelan for Dragon Armoury Creative.

Fin DAC has been one of my favourite street artists since I saw him painting at Stroke Urban Art Fair and he was back in Berlin over the last few days working at Teufelsberg for Berlin Rising.

Fin DAC – Magnificent 7

Share this:

As a Brit I am naturally fond of a sandwich and finding one in Berlin is not an easy task but that’s where MJ’s Foodshop comes in, not only is the Roasted Turkey Club sandwich delicious, it’s a thing of beauty and massive to boot.

Juicy turkey is backed up by bacon (and as we all know, everything is better with bacon), lettuce, tomato, eggs and mayo and comes served in toasted homemade bread.

And as I wrote earlier it’s massive but more importantly it tastes so good.

My advice is to order Mac and Cheese as a side – it’s creamy and cheesy and therefore a perfect accompaniment to the club sandwich.

If for some reason the Roasted Turkey Club doesn’t appeal I can also recommend the Philly Cheese Steak and the fries.

The portions at MJ’s are so big that I’ve never managed to make it through the main course with enough room left for dessert but one day I’m determined to try the New York Cheesecake.

If you’re looking for a bit of comfort food in Berlin and you have either someone to share with or a large appetite MJ’s Foodshop is at Sonnenallee 34 – one thing to note, don’t go on Mondays when MJ’s is closed.

Shown on the History Channel to mark the 15th anniversary of the fall of the wall on 9 November 2004, Declassified: Rise and Fall of the Wall is a documentary peppered with facts gleaned from then recently declassified files about events.

The documentary starts with a famous quote* from Nikita Kruschev:

I consider Berlin to be the testicles of the West. When I want the West to scream, I squeeze on Berlin.

* I have seen this more often written as, “Berlin is the testicle of the West. When I want the West to scream, I squeeze on Berlin.”

It then follows events in the German capital from the division of Berlin between the allied powers following the end of the war in 1945 to the fall of the wall on the night of 9 November 1989.

The evolution of the wall was cleverly shown with the use of computer graphics, though more detailed and sophisticated animations have been made in the years since thanks to technological advances.

The programme mistakenly identifies Rudolf Urban as the first casualty of the Berlin Wall. Urban died in the Lazarus hospital on the 17 September 1961 having contracted pneumonia whilst being treated for the injuries he suffered jumping from his first floor apartment at Bernauer Strasse 1 on 19 August 1961.

Ida Siekmann is the first official casualty of the Berlin Wall. She died on her way to the Lazarus hospital on 22 August 1961 as a result of the injuries she sustained jumping from the third floor window of her apartment at Bernauer Strasse 48.

There are some apps that you know that you will use every day and some that you need on your phone just in case – Is There A Line At Berghain?, a new app that tells you if there is a queue at Berlin’s iconic club definitely falls into the latter category.

Picture the scenario: you’re out for the night with friends, you’ve had a few drinks and now you’re in the mood to dance so you go to your favourite club only to find that there’s a huge queue and you have to wait an hour to get in – instant buzz killer, right?

Is There A Line At Berghain? is the solution to your problem if that night out is in Berlin and the club you’re heading for is Berghain.

The app (there’s also a website for those whose pre-club routine takes place at home) is driven by data crowd-sourced from users who cast their votes in the app so as developer Danuta Dramowicz points out “…it depends on people a) voting often and b) voting honestly (actually being there, not lying, etc).”

Also, “the status is based on an algorithm that updates itself only when a certain amount of people have voted YES or NO within a pre-determined time frame.”

The app has only been available for a couple of days but as it gains users it will therefore be more up-to-date and more accurate.

Photo: Screenshots from Is There A Line At Berghain?

As well as answering the burning question about the queue, the background images for Is There A Line At Berghain?, sourced from Flickr that that change each time you load the app, will help get you in the mood for your clubbing experience.

Berlin, Berlin: Spring is the second instalment in a 4-part series about Berlin that director Nehemias Colindres calls “a poetic visualization of a city’s manifesto” that started with Berlin, Berlin: Autumn.

The last few days in Berlin have been glorious and many have been declaring that ‘winter is over’ or ‘spring is sprung’ and whilst I’m all for a bit of optimism I’d also urge a little caution. Don’t pack away all your warm clothes just yet because winter might just have a little sting in the tail.

Today is officially the first day of spring by the astronomical definition but Berlin has a habit of lulling everyone into a false sense of security. After a cold and dark winter the first days of spring are such a release but winter is often lurking in the wings, waiting to be called on for an encore and one final bow, determined not to let spring have all the attention just yet.

That being said I’m sure that many of us feel the sense of rebirth that Nehemias Colindres evokes in Berlin, Berlin: Spring as the days start to get longer and indeed, ‘crisp air fills our faces with hope, a new sensation comes to life’…I say bring on Berlin, Berlin: Summer.

Share this:

Mickael Jou, a Taiwanese-French-American living in Berlin has combined his love of photography with his talent as a dancer to create a magical series of self-portraits for his 365 project.

The project started in Paris but having located to Berlin, Jou has used a number of its iconic tourist attractions as a backdrop, though that is not always the case. I only wish I had been in my local Kaufland when he took this next photo ‘levitating’ with the aid of a shopping trolley.

Share this:

Last month I had the pleasure of going to a tasting at Santa Maria Eastside to celebrate the launch of their new menu, overhauled to make the most of their fully organic, all-German handmade tacos – a first for the Mexican food scene in Berlin.

The majority of European tortillas are mass-produced using instant corn flour imported from Mexico but the tortillas at Santa Maria Eastside are handmade in Berlin using fresh corn grown in Bavaria.

My partner in crime for the evening was Gilly and we arrived early and started the night with a beer.

Co-owner Jules (who is also one of the driving forces behind another andBerlin favourite Piri’s) explained the new menu concept and at his suggestion we elected to try a bit of everything (almost).

We started with a taster of the Pozole – a pork soup with white corn and Mexican chillies, served with radish, cabbage and a tostada – followed up by the Sikil P’aak – a dip of habanero, roasted tomato, roasted pumpkin seeds and coriander served with fresh tortilla chips.

I had explained to Jules at the outset that I was a little sceptical about eating the vegetarian dishes so the trio of vegetarian tacos – Papas con Rajas / Calaza / Rajas con Crema – that we had next were a revelation to a meat-obsessive like me. Who knew that food without meat could be something to get excited about?

I’m not contemplating vegetarianism though so we finished off with the Tacos de Cochnita Pibil – pulled pork tacos with pickled red onion and habanero chillies and a tropical habanero salsa. Pulled pork really is the ingredient of choice at the moment and is cropping up on menus everywhere. The meat here was tender and the pickled onion created a nice contrast of textures and flavours that Gilly compared to Sauerbraten.

Our appetites well and truly satisfied we washed everything down with a boozy Margarita.

I’m amazed to say it but one of the vegetarian tacos was my favourite dish of the evening – the Papas con Rajas, a mixture of roasted onions, chillies, peppers, corn, garlic and potatoes. For confirmed meat eaters though, I would recommend the Barbacoa de Res Burrito that I’ve had on other visits.

Worth noting are a few special offers on the menu – lunch specials, Taco Tuesday and Margarita Happy Hour. From 19:00 to 21:00 on a Tuesday you could combine the last two and with 1€ Tacos and Margaritas for 4€ you could dine and drink like a king or queen without breaking the bank.

The quality of the food and a wide range of different Mexican flavours, including a tasty selection of vegetarian dishes, make Santa Maria Eastside in Berlin the perfect venue for a (small) party or an evening out with a group of friends.

Share this:

Post navigation

About andBerlin

A blog about life in Berlin. My visits to the city's sights, attractions, bars and restaurants will hopefully be a helpful guide for anyone planning a trip or looking for things to do in the German capital.
Find out more about what brought me here on my About page.